Saturday, August 30, 2008

temptation

today we looked at a rental which is about 15 miles from town. we are all sort of in love with it, despite some issues. the big questions are: 1. do we want to move from one rental, into another? and, 2. do we want to live 15 miles out of town?

let me share some of its charm. the ground floor deck is built around a big tree.

here is the top of the big tree.

there is nice dark wood trim, and these odd little shelves, of which there is another set on the other side.

this is the view from the kitchen window. yard. tire swing. fat tree. horse pasture. barn.

but when you look down, you look at this nasty kitchen sink. it's not dirty, just worn with age. there are a few worn out spots like this in the house.

i could have big plans for this small nook in the wall.

the landlord says he is going to put a wood burning stove here, which would rock. and i love the stone.

decent ceiling fans in many rooms.

and a loft. tashi is in love with the loft, and it would be totally hers.

the house is next to a river. a river! the river is muddy from recent rains, but far, far from overflowing, which says a lot.

here is the view from the master bedroom.

and here is the horse pasture, which is part of the property and may be rented out to horse owners. horses next door. droooool.

so why hesitate, you ask?

well, weren't we going to buy a house? you see, it's seeming more and more, the time is just not right for that.

why would we want to live so far when fuel is so expensive? maybe because when i take my power walk in the morning, it would be in the woods. automatically. and the idea of that -- the silence, the wildlife, the canopy of trees -- makes me a little giddy.

what about your cute blue house?well, once our current landlord jacks up the rent, the house pictured above would actually be cheaper. and it's bigger. and it has more land. and it's pretty darn cute, too.

6 comments:

angharad
said...

Do it. it's gorgeous. Forest life is so precious. owning is over rated. seriously. taxes. depreciation. plumbing bills. and you would have that barn to look at. EVERY DAY. And that sink has character. It's lived life well. I would think about the people who helped stain it rather than the stains. Seriously. And that tire. SERIOUSLY.

I always wanted a loft. Tashi would be very lucky. the envy of me, at least. who needs a playhouse when you have your own loft. and tire swing. and a barn to look at and maybe explore.

first of all, i love that angharad commented above!!! life is so weird! (hi angharad, if you're reading this!) second, i have to concur with a that home-ownership can be a serious pain in the ass. it is awesome, and a 'great investment' yah-dah yah-dah, but it definitely can be a serious source of stress. third, where is this place? do you have any neighbors nearby? would it bother you to have to drive to see someone besides your family in person? after many years of thinking that i was a 'country person' i have finally come to peace with the fact that i am a serious extrovert who loves being able to walk down the street and see neighbors and strangers to talk to, without planning ahead. but i think you are more introverted than i am-- and i can see how the solitary-ness of the country life could be really just your thing. and if that is the case... RENT THIS HOUSE!!! i so want to come visit you in it! it is amazing!!!

oh zoe! it just looks like you!! that house is dreamy! i agree with the majority opinion here and take it from one who recently became an owner, DOUBLE EEK! being a house holder is quite the task - the emotional and financial are making me way more root bound than i would prefer to be.

the little rental house i loved so where i reared my prize watermelons ended up going on the market and if we had just stuck it out there one more year we would've had first dibs on that place!

it sat on four lots with some amazingly rich soil, had an attic you could walk around in, vintage molding, doors and windows like a proper victorian farm house should have and went for only $43,000!

so who's to say this new move might not evolve into a house purchase eventually? my intuition is telling me there's a possibility there.

my thoughts on gas: i am trading in my car for a classic vw bug with a diesel engine. these can be converted to run on vegetable oil! you can recycle the used oil from the five gallon tubs that can be picked up for free from the local greasy spoon and filter it. that's even cheaper than an electric model!

freddie and i are going to be taking a course out in oregon to learn how to do this so if interested let me know. there is a huge lot of old vw's here in lexington, about twenty minutes from where i live. they are still going for about $500 a piece but that won't last for long. check out greasecar.com if you haven't already.

ok, that barn ~ THAT could be converted to a studio! and you could probably grow enough of your own veggies on that lot to offset the gas cost with the savings on your grocery bill and with chicken gene tomatoes who wants their ersatz produce anyway?!